Conklin was an important centre for the local fur trade from 1940 to 1960. Mink pelts from several mink farms in the area were transferred by canoe and dogsled to the railway siding at Conklin for shipment to markets.[5]
Christina Lake was the site of commercial fishing soon after Conklin was settled.[6] From 1940 to 1960 there was heavy commercial fishing in Christina Lake, and a fish processing plant was located at the outlet to the Jackfish River.[5]
Conklin lies within the Athabasca Oil Sands region, and Cenovus Energy has been operating its Christina Lake project in the area since 2000. The Christina Lake project is a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) project that recovers bitumen from the McMurray Formation, which lies at a depth of 375 m (1,230 ft) at that location.[7]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Conklin had a population of 154 living in 57 of its 91 total private dwellings, a change of -16.8% from its 2016 population of 185. With a land area of 16.29 km2 (6.29 sq mi), it had a population density of 9.5/km2 (24.5/sq mi) in 2021.[1]
The population of Conklin according to the 2018 municipal census conducted by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is 229,[21] a decrease from its 2012 municipal census population count of 318.[22]
As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Conklin had a population of 185 living in 71 of its 112 total private dwellings, a change of -12.3% from its 2011 population of 211. With a land area of 16.32 km2 (6.30 sq mi), it had a population density of 11.3/km2 (29.4/sq mi) in 2016.[20]
^"Geographical Identification and Population for Unincorporated Places of 25 persons and over, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada(PDF). Supplementary Bulletins: Geographic and Demographic (Population of Unincorporated Places—Canada). Vol. Bulletin 8SG.1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1978. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
^1981 Census of Canada(PDF). Place name reference list. Vol. Western provinces and the Territories. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1983. Retrieved September 26, 2024.